British English is very nearly a foreign language, as most Americans who have visited Great Britain will verify. Proof of this is Britishisms, containing almost five thousand words and phrases common to Britons and confoundingly uncommon to Americans.

Granted, communication gaps are being plugged through radio, television, and jet travel, and many Britishisms are seeping into our lexicon, as are Americanisms into theirs. But the average American is struck with the surprising difference between his language and that of the man on the London sidewalk. Apart from accent variants, and these alone can be ear-shattering, the visitor often finds himself at sea in a country he feels should be a second home. He will ask for the nearest gas station and be answered with a frown. She will try to buy potato chips and wind up with french fries. The child wanting cookies or candy will go hungry unless he knows the secret words.

The nice thing, of course, is that when the Americans invited the British out of America some centuries ago they left behind their language, along with a lot of their countrymen. So there is every reason to believe that, fortified with your Britishisms, a soupçon of sign language, and a profusion of smiles, you should easily get along in Great Britain without an interpreter.

England and neighboring Wales, Scotland and Ireland, are not just beautiful, but abounding in tradition and history. Yet quite a few Americans bypass the UK on their first trip abroad, feeling that it's not really and truly a foreign country. To that notion Britishisms pipes: That's bletherskite! Crawl out of your Humber saloon, open the boot and drag out your Wellies and anorak. Then onto Shanks' mare for a constitutional up a down or down a wold. Nip into a costermonger's for a fresh-up or natter in the local with a nob. It's a dead-cert you'll be as keen as mustard on everything and everyone British, as is

Yours truly